SSAA NSW

Coffs Harbour's Newest Shooter From the moment I asked SSAA NSW Coffs Harbour Branch Rimfire Captain Ray Munro if it would be possible to allow Luke Fieldhouse, a soon to be 21 year old man, to spend the morning of his birthday having a shoot with locals around the SSAA Coffs Harbour Range, I was met with an enthusiastic "yes we can" attitude. Luke, who from birth has had very limited use of his legs due to a condition called cerebral palsy, requires a motorised wheelchair for all his daily mobility. Luke has always had an appreciation for the military and has an extensive understanding of the area from reading and other research - so the opportunity to experience the firing of real rifles (plural!) was a welcome opportunity. Luke and his crew, comprised of his good friend Michael Landas, two mates and I, hired a van able to transport Luke's chair from Community Transport in Coffs and made our slow and bumpy way to the Dairyville Range. He was greeted by Ray at eye level (as Ray was seated in his own wheelchair) and after warm introductions the necessary paper work was filled out, which permitted Luke to shoot that day. Ray, with assistance from Beau Rosewood, Luke's team and the other SSAA crew too, manoeuvred Luke and his chair into position at one of the benches. After working out some logistics, Luke was given plenty of time to get comfortable and find a way to position himself so he could make sense of the scope on the .22 rifle. Managing to see through the scope was one of quite a few challenges for Luke, which deepened his respect for the whole process. His friends filmed his first firing, which are now on YouTube and Facebook, and Luke's enjoyment is obvious for all to see. My favourite video happened when Ray brought out the "big gun". The 6mm PPC and Luke lets off his first thumping shot of that beast. I won't spoil it but suffice to say, it was impressive! Luke asked me to help him write a heart-felt thank you to all those who made the day possible. Rob Stockton Thanks to Ray and the SSAA guys for giving me this awesome opportunity to shoot some rifles (not guns as we were taught on the day, "This is my rifle, this is my gun, this one's for shootin' and this one's for fun"). It was a very enjoyable and exhilarating experience and after learning how to operate the systems I got some amazing shots for somebody who was shooting for the first time. It surprised me how light the trigger was to pull but after a few good shots I knew I wanted to join the club in the future so I can have the experience again and again. I hope to get better at shooting and to get a few bull's-eyes eventually. As a reminder of the experience I took my range targets home and laminated them straight away and they're hanging right over there on my bedroom wall. I didn't think this would even be possible for me so thanks heaps to Ray, Beau, Ian, John and the whole crew at the range. I was really impressed with how helpful, professional and patient everyone was. See you next time. SIGN THE PETITION SSAA NSW has been made aware of a community petition calling on the Federal Government to allow access to all the groups removed from the Malabar Headland, including SSAA. To sign this community petition please visit: http://www.communityrun.org/petitions/ return-the-malabar-headland-to-the-people Sporting Shooters Association of Australia (NSW) Inc. Check out the SSAA NSW website to stay up to date with the latest news for the safe, fun and unique range of shooting sports. www.ssaansw.org.au 3

• Cover